This will be the Day you've waited for
by SmutWithPlotAO3
Summary: Jaune "convinced" Pyrrha to let him accompany her to die on top of Beacon Tower. Of course, they stood no chance against Cinder. Good that Jaune unlocked his Semblance. Too bad that he's now stuck in a time loop. Even worse that he's losing it. Jaune/Multi during the loops. Eventually Jaune/Cinder that isn't just some Stress Relief. Cover Art by RiaTorrevillas. TBC very soon.


**Welcome to "This will be the Day you've waited for" AKA "Not a crack-fic with a crack-ship" AKA "I just write whatever the fuck I want because it's a freaking time loop and nothing matters...until it does".**

**Just kidding, Cinder is RWBY best girl. Cinder haters, be gone! Go ship Bumblebee or something...**

**Obviously, the time loop will end at some point, and the story will continue on a more normal and serious tone (or not) then. Until that point, expect humor, smut (with various girls), and Jaune being burned alive...a lot. The pairing isn't named Arc Furnace for nothing.**

**Don't forget to Review! Suggestions are welcome, and, seeing how it's a time-loop, I could easily work them into the story.**

**Peace.**

* * *

"Okay, I think I have Glynda's number," Jaune said, pulling out his scroll and searching his contacts. "Oh... Where is it?"

Around them, the grounds of Beacon Academy lay in ruins. They were the only ones that hadn't evacuated yet, having just made their way out of the Vault, leaving behind Ozpin to fight against the intruder.

_Damn it_. He looked at his partner. "Pyrrha? What was all of that?" The strange machine in the vault. The woman. This didn't make any sense!

"I-I..."

A loud sound echoed out from the tower. It was the sound of bursts of fire, traveling upward at a rapid pace.

"No," Jaune gasped. "But...Ozpin..." How could he lose?

"There's no time." Pyrrha shook her head, blinking back tears. "Go! Get to Vale! And call for help!"

"Huh? And what are you gonna do?"

Pyrrha looked toward the peak of the tower, her face set in determination, and it was all the answers Jaune needed.

"No... No, Pyrrha, you can't! You saw how powerful she is! Pyrrha, I won't let you do—"

She grabbed him and pressed her lips against his. He was momentarily surprised before closing his eyes and encircling her waist with his arms, desperately holding her close. He was overwhelmed with feelings, and his determination steeled, now more than ever. He was not going to let her die some stupid heroic death!

"I'm sorry," Pryyha said after separating. She put her hands on his neck and chest, and his chest plate started to glow from the use of her Semblance.

Jaune felt a strong push against his whole body, but he tightened his hold on her waist, refusing to let go. His whole body started to glow a brilliant white from his Aura as he strained his muscles to counteract the drastic power of her push.

"Pyrhha! No! Stop!"

"I'm sorry, Jaune!," she cried, her eyes wet with tears. "Please, let go!"

"No! I'm not leaving you!"

The force behind her Semblance weakened slightly.

"Do you think you can just kiss me and then run off to die? What about me? Don't I get a choice?"

"Jaune..."

He grunted through gritted teeth, the pain from the overexertion and stress on his body becoming almost unbearable.

"Pyrrha! Stop!"

"Please, Jaune! This... I have to do this."

"Then I'll help! Please! Don't leave me..."

Pyrrha closed her eyes, and her Semblance subsided. All strength seemed to leave her body, and they both fell to their knees, Jaune catching her in his arms.

"Why," she whispered, head bowed. "Why won't you—"

"Because I love you! And I'd rather die than live in a world without you!"

"Jaune." She sniffed and looked up at him with a sad smile, raising a hand to his cheek. "I...I love you too. Which is why—"

He placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "Then let me to this. This is my choice. And I choose you!"

Pyrrha sobbed and bowed her head in defeat.

"Alright." Jaune stood up and offered a hand. "Let's show this bitch what it means to mess with Team JNPR."

Pyrrha giggled, sniffed, and wiped an arm across her face, then grasped his hand and let him pull her up. "Let's do this," she said, her face once again set in determination.

Jaune threaded his fingers with hers, and together, they broke into a run toward the tower. They quickly passed through the building and entered the demolished elevator.

"Hold on tight!" Pyrrha instructed, and Jaune stepped behind her, hugging her tightly. He wouldn't have let go if she'd told him to.

She spread her arms, and her whole body shook as she strained her muscles, using her Semblance. The elevator began to shake violently around them, encompassed in a black glow, and then suddenly, they jolted upward at break-neck speed.

A piercing, inhuman screech sounded from above, and despite their rapid ascent, Jaune could feel the tower shake in its foundation.

"What was that?"

"It doesn't matter," Pyrrha panted. "We'll stop it."

The elevator came to a halt.

This was it, behind the closed doors lay certain death—the woman and whatever Grimm monster he'd just heard screeching, although the former seemed to be the true monster among them.

Pyrrha turned toward him, and for a moment Jaune was worried that she may try to leave him behind in the elevator. She looked at him questionably.

"Don't even think that I'd turn around now. I've made my choice."

They shared a last, brief kiss, and then Pyrrha faced the doors, and with a quick shove of her Semblance, pushed them open.

They immediately started into the room, weapons raised and shields at the ready to block whatever fire blast the woman might hurl at them.

Said woman was in the center of Ozpin's office, hovering in the air, a flame beneath her feet. "Awww. How sweet."

The head of the giant Grimm wyvern was visible through the windows. It had curled itself around the tower, watching them with burning, intelligent eyes.

"Why?" Jaune demanded. "Why are you doing this?" He recognized her now. She was a transfer student. And he recognized the voice. He'd seen her fight in the Vital Tournament. Cinder Fall. She was the one that'd spoken after Penny's death.

"Isn't it obvious? Ozpin had something that was rightfully mine... so I took it."

"And what about Beacon? What about all the innocents that have died?!"

They began to circle her, but no one made to attack yet, Jaune warily watching the wyvern out of the corner of his eyes.

"Innocents?" Cinder asked, amused. "And whose fault is that?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Maybe you should ask your _esteemed_ headmaster that question when you see him the next time. Oh, I forgot, opposite to him, you won't survive our encounter." She smirked.

"What? What have you done to him?!"

"I killed him."

Pyrrha had apparently heard enough nonsense, for she suddenly charged at Cinder. Jaune followed suit.

A shockwave of fire erupted from Cinder, blasting them both back before they reached her. They managed to regain their footing easily.

Cinder started shooting blasts of fire at them, which they either dodged or blocked with their shields. It was steadily getting hotter, and eventually, they'd have to let go of their shields.

Pyrrha shifted her weapon into a spear and threw it at Cinder, followed by her Shield. Cinder was momentarily surprised, and when she batted them away, she lost her footing a little. Jaune used the opportunity to charge and land a strike across her abdomen.

"Argh!"

* * *

"Did you honestly believe that you stood chance against me?" Cinder scoffed, flicking her impeccable hair over her shoulder. The only damage to her attire was a faint cut above her stomach. She'd played with them, and once she'd used her full power, they'd been decimated. She'd played them out against each other, using Jaune's inexperience to create more openings to them, making them trip over each other's feet like children.

_This is all my fault. I'm sorry, Pyrrha._

Groaning, Jaune tried to lift himself off his back, but his muscles felt as if they were on fire. He knew that he had some Aura left, but he was completely out. He raised a shaky hand to swipe some soot out of his eyes and managed to crane his head to watch on in paralyzed horror.

Cinder stalked leisurely—as if she had all the time in the world—toward Pyrrha, who was wheezing for breath, a Dust-Arrow sticking out of her sternum.

_Noooo! _Jaune tried to scream, but he couldn't move, and his throat was so dry that he doubted any audible sound have come out regardless. If his eyes weren't so dry from the excruciating heat and soot, he would be watching through a curtain of tears now.

"It's unfortunate you were promised a power that was never truly yours," Cinder monologue with played sadness as she kneeled in front of his spasming partner, whose eyes were widening and narrowing uncontrollably. "But take comfort in knowing that I'll use it in ways you could never have imagined."

Pyrrha managed to steady herself somewhat but seemed unable to move. "Do you believe in destiny?" she asked, looking up at Cinder.

Cinder narrowed her eyes and confidently stated, "Yes." She laid a hand on Pyrrha's cheek, her eyes burning in victory.

_NOOOO!_

One second Pyrrha was kneeling there, the next her body had eviscerated and—like a Grimm—transformed into fiery glowing particles that were carried off by the wind.

Jaune pressed his dry eyes shut as his whole being was consumed by grief, confusion, and hate. Mostly aimless and all-encompassing hate, incinerating his broken heart and spreading through his body like a hot wave, burning his insides and making him shake in desperate ire.

_Why? Why is she doing this?_ Why was this happening? How could someone be so evil, side with the Grimm, and seek to destroy and kill everyone? _Why? WHY?_

"HHHYYEEAAAA!" A high-pitched scream pierced the air from behind, making his ears ring.

_Ruby._

He tried to turn his head, but a blinding light was suddenly all around him, stinging him even through his closed eyes.

"_What?!_" Cinder shrieked.

"Aarrgh!" Jaune's eyes felt like they were burned out of his throbbing skull as he screamed out all his pain, sorrow, anger, and confusion. "_WHHYYYYYY?!_"

_Why..._

The world went completely white before he was swallowed in darkness.

* * *

Jaune woke with a gasp. Shooting up in a sitting position, his eyes roamed frantically around the room he found herself in.

_Pyrrha! Ruby! Cinder! What?!_

He wasn't dead? His body wasn't hurting anymore, and he successfully identified his surroundings as the Team Juniper dorm room. He was in his bed, clad in Pumpkin Pete's pajama onesies.

"Jaune?"

_Pyrrha!_

His head snapped toward his partner, looking alive and well in her red satin sleeping gown, her hair undone. He was out of his bed before he knew what he was doing.

_Pyrrha!_

"Jaune, what's the matter? You were scream—"

His lips were on hers as he tackled her to her bed.

Pyrrha gave a short surprised squeak before relaxing, closing her eyes and enveloping his torso with her arms. They were awkwardly half-kneeling half-lying on top of her bed as he tried to convey all his thoughts in the kiss.

"Wow," Pyrrha breathed as he withdrew.

He raised a hand to her cheek and traced her smooth skin. "You're fine, you're fine. I'm so sorry. So so—" Tears were flowing down his face, clouding his eyes. "It's all my fault. I'm sorry. I'm—"

"Jaune. Jaune!" Pyrrha had grasped him by his shoulders the shoulders, shaking him. She was staring up at him with confused eyes, and her mouth was set in a bright, although worried smile. "What's the matter? Did you have a nightmare?"

"What? Nightmare?"

"Not that I'm not happy with this development, even if it's a bid sudden." She raised a hand to his neck and traced the fine hairs there. "But what's going—"

_Nightmare?! No, it was real!_ He could still taste the soot in his mouth, feel the stinging in his eyes and the ringing in his ears as the world exploded into whiteness.

"Ruby! I...Cinder!—"

"Who's that?" Pyrrha asked defensively. "Jaune, please snap out of it. What are you talking about?

This didn't make any sense! He abruptly sent himself off her and jumped onto his bed, frantically searching for his scroll on the nightstand. With shaky fingers, he grasped his scroll, and after putting in the wrong pin four times, he was staring at the date in stunned shock.

_This... this is impossible_. The date showed had been _months_ ago, before the tournament had started. His brain started to go through all the possibilities, but his thoughts were all over the place, so he shut them down viciously and focused on what was important.

_Pyrrha! Ruby! Cinder!... Ozpin!_

"I have to save them, save them all!" He suddenly gave a sharp laugh, sounding the lunatic befitting the crazy situation he found himself in. "I can save them!"

"Jaune? Jaune? Tell me what's going on?" Pyrrha's voice was desperate, but he ignored her, already at the door.

He burst into the floor, not caring that he was still in his pajamas and barefooted and broke into a sprint.

"Jaune!" The steady rhythm of Pyrrha's footsteps followed him, but he didn't look back.

_Ozpin, I have to find Ozpin, warn him._

"Wait up!"

He sprinted past students, rudely knocking some aside, turned corners, and crossed the grounds that seemed to be endless, his mind repeating the same thoughts over and over again. _Save them all! Cinder...Ozpin...Cinder Fall!_

Being literally chased by the devil in the form of a woman with burning eyes and unimaginable—illogical—fire powers, he sprinted so fast as he'd never done before. When he reached the elevator, his lungs and legs were burning excruciatingly, but it was nothing compared to the pain of seeing his partner die in front of his eyes.

The door opened and he jumped inside, immediately selecting the button for Ozpin's office and desperately smashing the button to close the door faster. Pyrrha jumped in, panting heavily.

_Come on. Come on. Faster!_

"Jaune!"

Finally, the doors closed and they started to ascent.

"Pyrrha?"

"What's going on?" There were tears in her eyes. "You're scaring me. Talk to me, Jaune!"

"I... there's no time. I have to warn... Ozpin... Cinder."

"Jaune! Jaune!"

The world was suddenly shaky around him, and a high pitched buzz started to gather in his ears as white spots appeared in his vision.

_No! No, I have to..._

He vaguely noticed strong arms steadying him, and he grasped onto them wherever he could manage.

A _ding_ sounded, and in addition to Pyrrha's frantic voice, there were suddenly two, maybe three more voices that attacked his ringing hearing from seemingly all directions.

"Explain yourself, Miss Nikos."

"I don't know! He—When he woke up, I—I don't—"

"Let's move him into the chair. Glynda, if you would."

"Right away."

Jaune felt like throwing up. He had no idea where up and down was, and he didn't feel the ground below his feet anymore.

"Mr. Arc. Mr. Arc, do you hear me?"

He moved his head without feeling or seeing anything. There was a weird snapping sound, and he focused on it, centering himself. His vision cleared, and he saw a hand in front of his eyes, snapping its fingers.

"Mr. Arc. Mr. Arc?"

"Ozpin?" he croaked.

"Thank goodness."

"Jaune!"

He felt a hand grab his own, spotting Pyrrha sitting next to him. He just realized that they were in Ozpin's office—whole and undestroyed—sitting in the chairs before the headmaster's desk.

"Yes, it's Ozpin, your headmaster. Are you quite well, Mr. Arc?"

"I-I..."

"Do you know where you are?"

"I, in your office—Headmaster, please, you have to listen to me, there's...Grimm...danger—"

"One step at a time," Ozpin said calmy. "Take a deep breath, and then tell me everything, from start to beginning, please."

He did as told, holding tightly onto Pyrrha's hand, gathering his thoughts and focusing on what was important.

"I'm from the future," Jaune said, looking Ozpin straight in the eyes.

"Huh?"

"..."

"Mr. Arc." Miss Gydwitch sighed. "If you're quite done wasting our time, we'd—"

Ozpin held up a hand. "It's quite alright, please, continue."

"What? You can't be serious, Ozpin!"

"That's enough, Glynda. Now, Mr. Arc, talk."

"I... I think I died. There was this giant Dragon Grimm, and this woman, and Pyrrha"—he bit back a sob, squeezing her hand tightly—"and then there was all that light, so bright and blinding. I heard someone scream, I think it was Ruby..."

Ozpin's eyes widened marginally when he recited the last part about Ruby. "And where was that?"

Jaune snorted. "Here, right here in this office. I..." He closed his eyes and gathered his thoughts for a moment. "You have to believe me!" He stared into Pyrrha and Miss Goodwitch's disbelieving faces. "Okay, I'll start from the beginning. It was the Vital Tournament's final round. The Finals: Pyrrha vs. Penny, she's a robot, by the way. And you"—he looked at his partner, wincing—"you killed her, accidentally. Then everyone started to panic and Grimm attacked the school. We managed to evacuate everyone. And then... then we made our way toward Beacon. We—you, me, and Pyrrha—took the elevator down to the Vault... there was this crazy machine—"

"Ozpin!" Miss Goodwitch interjected sharply. "What is—"

"Quiet, Glynda," Ozpin commanded, leaning forward and aiming an intent look at Jaune. "Continue."

"Okay, so, so... Pyrrha and the other girl were in the machine, but before it'd been finished, this woman, _Cinder Fall_, showed up and killed the girl. You told us to run, so we did. You stayed behind to fight her but... but you died, I think. We saw her go up the tower and followed behind. But she was too strong, her eyes were burning and there seemed to be no end to her powers. She blasted us with fire until I was out and Pyrrha's Aura broken. And... You know the rest."

"Thank you for telling me," Ozping said with a brief nod. "Whatever may have happened, it has clearly taken its toll on you. You said it happened during the finals of the Vital Tournament?" At Jaune's nod, he continued, "That's quite some time away. Let's remain calm and think this over."

The headmaster's demeanor and voice had a calming effect on Jaune, and he found that he could start thinking logically again. He didn't really know why he was so panicked before. Sure, he'd died—or had he?—and this all didn't make much sense, but if he was really back in time, then he had _months_ to prepare until _that_ day.

Miss Goodwitch looked like she wanted to argue, but instead started to pace around the room, her heels clicking loudly along with the ticking of gears that always sounded in the office...until the Grimm Dragon had destroyed it...will destroy it...maybe.

"Now," Ozpin said. "I'm not saying that what you're saying isn't possible, but there are a number of possibilities that seem more likely than you being from the future. And the majority of them don't end well for yourself, I'm afraid."

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.

"What I mean, Mr. Arc, is that either you're telling the truth, or, and which is more likely, you're trying to deceive us. What you told me that you know, the _Vault_ and the _machine_. There are very few people that know about those. And you also realize that I can't let you and Miss Nikos leave the room with that knowledge—"

"What?" Pyrrha asked. "I'm sorry headmaster—"

Ozpin held up a hand to silence her. "I'm sorry if that came off as a threat. What I meant is that I can't let you leave without being assured of your loyalties. Now, Mr. Arc, you're _absolutely_ certain that you're from the future?"

Jaune gulped, looked the headmaster in the eyes, and firmly said, "Yes."

Miss Goodwitch scoffed. "Impossible."

"Perhaps, "Ozpin conceded. "Though consider this: What if you're not actually from the future, but simply had a vision of the future? of _a_ future? Perhaps you've unlocked your Semblance without knowing it?"

Jaune thought that over for a moment. "I don't think so. I remember everything until then quite clearly. And I mean _everything_. Days, weeks, moths that I've lived, that _I know_ I've lived."

"I won't ask you to list some of those... for now. If everything up until now is any indicator, you're either telling the truth or are such a good liar that it wouldn't make any difference." Ozpin leaned back in his chair. "Let's say I believe you for a second, what would you have me do about it?"

Jaune was shortly startled by the sudden shift of tone. "Cinder. Cinder Fall. She's the mastermind behind it all."—Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch shared a look—"Arrest her, kill her, whatever. She's a transfer student here."

Ozpin typed something on his terminal, projecting the information about Cinder and her team into the air.

"That's her."

The two professors went over the team's information for a few minutes, talking in small voices.

"It certainly looks suspicious," Ozpin concluded.

"Quite," Miss Goodwitch agreed.

"So you believe me?" Jaune asked hopefully, leaning forward in his chair.

"I wouldn't go so far, but I thank you for informing me about it nonetheless. I'd ask you to remain in my office for some time while I contact some people, and then I'll have some more questions for you."

Jaune nodded, relief flooding through him. "Thank you."

He simply sat there while the headmaster was busy with his scroll and terminal. Pyrrha continued to look worriedly at him, but he didn't know what to say, so he simply squeezed her hand and tried to give her a reassuring smile. Miss Goodwitch continued to pace the room, keeping a steady eyes on them and checking her scroll from time to time.

"I've put some insurances in place should this all be some nefarious ploy on your side, Mr. Arc. Although, the longer I see you two, the more I'm inclined to believe it, no matter how absurd it sounds."

They smiled.

"Now, more questions. Better get comfortable, this will be a long day."

* * *

The headmaster wasn't joking. He briefly allowed them to notify their team that they'd be away for some extracurricular activity. Ozpin had suggested that they say that they were on a date, to which they readily agreed. Miss Goodwtich loomed over their shoulders the whole time while they typed, then confiscated their scrolls and shut them down.

After that, Jaune was busy answering question after question. He recounted the events of the past months to the best of his abilities. The headmaster was especially insistent to be told about the Grimm Dragon and whether he was sure that it was Ruby who he'd heard. Pyrrha's face lit up when he recounted what had happened during the dance and seemed a lot more inclined to believe him after that. Even Miss Goodwitch's facial expression went from annoyed and skeptical to only mildly annoyed and skeptical.

After what must have been hours, it was finally over. His mouth was dry and his head was spinning. Yet, he was hopeful. This had all gone a lot better than expected, and it looked like he'd somehow been granted a second chance.

It was Sunday, so there were no classes. Miss Goodwitch left a few times to attend to some school-related stuff, but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Ozpin informed them that they were to remain in his office a while longer, so Jaune and Pyrrha retreated into a corner where she continued to ask him questions about the future and even apologized for her future self—however that worked. He told her that he was the one that was sorry, and when they were sure that Ozpin wasn't looking, they even traded some shy kisses.

The sun was setting when the headmaster returned their scrolls and informed them that they were allowed to return to their normal lives. He insisted that they keep quiet about anything that they'd talked about and promised that he would explain everything once he was sure of Jaune's authenticity.

Jaune and Pyrrha left the office, and after a brief stop in their dorm to put on some proper clothes, they made their way to dinner, never letting go of the other's hand longer than necessary. They were starved and thirsty—they hadn't eaten the whole day.

Nora and Ren and Team RWBY were already in the cafeteria, and Jaune and Pyrrha suffered through their questions—especially Nora's—while they ate and recounted the story they'd agreed upon beforehand. They didn't seem suspicious as they were too happy that Jaune and Pyrrha had _finally_ gotten together. Apparently, it had been completely obvious to everyone but him that Pyrrha had a massive crush on him the whole time. In hindsight, he had to agree, but everything was easy in hindsight as he now learned.

Eventually, the surreal day came to a close, and Jaune tiredly sank into his bed's covers, hopeful and thankful for whatever had made this possible.

* * *

Jaune woke after a dreamless sleep, feeling...nothing really. He took a moment to look around the room, noting with massive relief that he was still in Team JNPR's dorm room. He'd feared that this had all been a dream or something else entirely and that he'd wake up in the future where Pyrrha had died.

Speaking of his partner—and girlfriend now—she was, same as yesterday, already up and sitting on her bed, still clad in her red sleeping gown, her hair undone.

"Hey," Jaune said.

"Good morning," Pyrrha said, then grasped her scroll, ignoring him again.

_Weird._ He'd have expected some more enthusiastic response after yesterday.

"Everything alright, Pyr?"

"Yes?" she said uncertainly, frowning at him. "Why do you ask?"

"I just thought, after yesterday..."

"Yesterday?" Her frown deepened. "Did something happen?"

Hurt shot through him. "I...Did something happen?" he repeated incredulously.

"Jaune, you're not making any sense. I'm sorry if I did something to upset you, but I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

He stared at her for some time before he asked, "What day is today?"

"Huh?"

"Pyrrha," he snapped. "What day?"

"I...uh, Sunday."

_Sunday,__ like yesterday_. He grasped his scroll with suddenly shaky fingers, and, only taking two failed attempts to unlock it, he stared disbelievingly at the date._ Yesterday's date_.

"What...the...fuck?" His mind went blank for a minute as he simply stared at his scroll. "How? Why?"

"Jaune? Everything alright?"

He didn't answer. Did this mean... did this mean that he was stuck? That he was in hell, forever damned to repeat the same day? Was this his punishment for getting his partner killed?

He shook her head, deciding to not reach any premature conclusion.

"Sorry," he told Pyrrha. "I spaced out there for a moment. Everything's alright. No reason to worry."

"If you say so." She smiled then went back to whatever she was doing on a _Sunday_ morning.

Jaune stood and started to ready himself for the day. After clothing himself, he explained that he would be out today and left his confused partner behind.

He went into Ozpin's office—alone this time—and explained everything logically and calmly. The result was much the same as yesterday, and he had to remain there the whole day. When he mentioned that he lived through this _day _already, the headmaster seemed a lot more skeptical about that though.

It was almost like an out-of-body experience. The whole day simply passed by as the reality that he was stuck now—forever—repeated in his head over and over, even though he couldn't know for sure.

When he went to bed that day, he stared blankly at the ceiling until he eventually fell asleep.

* * *

The next day, the first thing he did was to check his scroll, and as expected, it was still the same day. _Sunday_. He let his head fall back onto his pillow and stared at the ceiling, seemingly dead to the world.

_I'm stuck. I'm stuck, I'm stuck I'm stuck_. It was the only thought in his mind.

Eventually, a hand on his shoulder startled him, and he looked into Pyrrha's concerned face.

"Jaune?"

"Huh?"

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's peachy. I've just realized that I'm forever stuck in a time loop. You know, the usual."

Pyrrha gave a little laugh, brushing some of her open hair behind her ear. "What are you talking about?"

"Yeah, what am I talking about?" He eyed her revealing sleeping gown.

"Jaune? Wha—"

On a whim, he abruptly reached out with his arms, surrounded Pyrrha's waist and drew her on top of him onto his bed.

She gave a little squeak. "Jaune!"

"Isn't this what you want?" he whispered. "You love me, don't you?"

"I, what?"

He grasped her head with his hands and pressed his lips against hers. She was briefly stock still before melting against him and returning his kiss.

When they separated, she was staring at him in wonder and confusion. "What brought this on?" she asked from atop of him.

"I just realized that time is precious... and that I love you, of course." He tried to smile at her.

It mustn't have been very convincing because she frowned at him. "Jaune, I—"

He grasped her again and flipped them over, then started pressing kisses onto her neck and up jaw.

"Jaune, stop," she gasped, pushing lightly against him.

"Why? Don't you love me? I thought you wanted this". He continued to kiss his way up her face, nearing her mouth.

Before he reached her lips, Pyrrha shoved him off, and he was sent flying off the bed and onto the floor.

"Jaune, please, I don't know what's happened, but this isn't you. I..." She hastily threw on some clothes. "I'll need some time to think, and you should too." She was out of the door before he could say anything.

He shrugged, remaining onto the hard floor and staring dispassionately at the ceiling. What did it matter? What did anything matter? Things would just go back to normal tomorrow... today... forever today.

After some time, guilt began to rise inside of him, and he suddenly felt awful and appalled by his earlier actions.

_What has come over me? That's not me, she was right. But..._

No, there was no excuse. This wasn't him. _Why did I give up so easily? It's just been two days. Who knows, maybe the time loop will end someday? I can't know._ No, he couldn't know, and he couldn't give up, couldn't give in to all the negative thoughts. He had to _try_.

His mind in a better place again, he got clothed and exited his dorm. He wandered the ground for a while and eventually found Pyrrha sitting on the rooftop where they usually practiced. He simply sat beside her with some good distance between them and apologized, then apologized again and left after neither made any attempt to talk for some time.

He grabbed something to eat and thought his current predicament over while he aimlessly wandered across the school grounds. At the end of the day, he reached the conclusion that he simply needed to try and try over again. That was the only thing he could do. Try to change things, until eventually, it would end... or it wouldn't. But he wouldn't give in so easily.

Jaune went to bed feeling guilty and ashamed yet hopeful that he could make up for his mistakes in the future and escape this hell.

* * *

Same as yesterday, the first thing Jaune did after waking was to check his scroll, confirming that it was still Sunday. Much like the second day, he simply got clothes, excused himself from his partner, and made his way into Ozpin's office, then explained the situation to him.

It didn't work, and he woke up the next day with the same result. Yet, he didn't give up. Each day, he tried something different, phrased his words differently, wore something different, tried the headmaster to do something different.

It didn't make much of a difference, but at least he was making _some_ progress.

He found out that the girl in the machine was called Amber, and that magic existed, and that the four maidens were real, and that they'd tried to transfer Amber's soul into Pyrrha, and that this was what Cinder was after, and that Ruby's silver eyes were somehow important and may be the reason for the time loop.

* * *

"23:59:52, 23:59:53, 23:59:54, 23:59:55, 23:59:56," Jaune counted, tracking the time on his scroll. "23:59:59, 24—"

"Fuck." His eyes snapped open.

It was morning again.

* * *

"Mr. Arc, why are you wearing a dress?" Ozpin asked from behind his desk as he entered the office

"I don't know." Jaune shrugged. "Though it might help."

"With what?"

"Making you believe that I'm from the future and stuck in a time loop?"

"I see. Glynda, please escort Mr. Arc to the infirmary, I'm afraid Mr. Arc isn't himself."

"I'm not high," Jaune protested as a purple glow encompassed him.

* * *

"Oh no, please don't hurt me!" Jaune cried, shielding his head with his hands against Ozpin's walking stick. "I'll tell you everything! Cinder Fall! She's behind this all! She's after the Fall Maiden, please, I don't want to die!"

* * *

"What's up Oz, hey Glynda, nice outfit."

"Mr. Arc? What is the meaning of this?"

"Ah, the usual. You know, planning on destroying Beacon, Vale too, if you want to be precise."

"Is this some kind of joke?"

"Afraid not Glynda, you're a little slow today. Is it because of my outfit?"

He was naked.

"Still haven't figured it out?" Jaune asked. "Oh well, I'm just the distraction while Cinder is infiltrating the Vault and killing Amber. The usual Sunday morning..."

* * *

_A few hundred days later_

* * *

"No matter how ridiculous this sounds, Mr. Arc, I'm willing to investigate your claims. I've made some precautions should this be a trap. But to be sure, I'll have to restrain you while we're gone."

"Sure," Jaune agreed with a smile. "Tie me up, knock me out, whatever it takes, just make sure to get that bitch."

"Language, Mr. Arc," Glynda admonished.

Jaune laughed, a little unstable. "Sorry, not sorry."

He kept on smiling as they secured him with some handcuffs and some heavy chains—wherever they'd gotten those—to a chair, which they attached to some immovable part of the office. He knew that he couldn't escape, but he wasn't planning to. As long as they got Cinder, then maybe this would be all over.

The elevator closed behind them, and Jaune waited...and waited...and waited

His good mood and smile fell gradually fell the longer it stretched on.

Eventually, the elevator opened again.

"Thank goodness, took you long enou—"

He gaped at the person who came walking out of the lift.

Cinder Fall.

Her hair and school uniform looked a little ruffled, but otherwise, she was fine. She stalked slowly toward him, a smirk on her face.

"I understand that I have you to thank for this turn of events?" she cooed, crouching down and petting his cheek.

He glared and struggled against his restraints, the chains rattling.

"Now now, no reason for panic, I'm here to release you." Cinder smiled sweetly, and her eyes started to light up with flames—both eyes.

_Fuck!_ How?

She gently ran a hand through his hair, her eyes shining with malice, gloating. "Any last words?"

"Fuck you." He spat at her.

Cinder shrieked in outrage and wiped her face with a sleeve. Her sweet demeanor was gone, replaced by rage and disgust.

Jaune laughed, a loud, bitter, and unstable yet joyful laugh. It would be all over now. Finally...Maybe...Hopefully? He was suddenly encompassed by excruciating heat. His Aura was gone in seconds, and eventually, his laughter turned into screams as he was burned alive.

* * *

Jaune awoke with a gasp, the taste of charred flesh on his tongue.

After his—by now automatic—response to check the date, he proclaimed, "Well, well, well, it seems I can't die." He still felt phantom pain all over his body, yet, almost jumped out of his bed in joy, his face shifting into a wide grin.

He'd been reluctant to attack Cinder by himself before. He couldn't be sure that he'd survive, after all. He couldn't risk it, had played it safe for so long, had tried to convince Ozpin until he'd manage to gauge him into action.

But now...now he knew that he was invincible...and he had all the time in the world.

He _knew_, simply _knew_ that this time loop would end with _her _death. And he _would_ kill her, no matter how long it took. After all, he was the one with infinite time, and she was only human. Half-maiden and part-Grimm, sure, but still only a human. He _could_ and _would_ kill her.

"You hear me, Cinder Fall?" he yelled at the dorm room's ceiling, clad in his Pumpkin Pete's pajamas. "You've already lost! I'm coming for you, and you can't escape!" He laughed loudly before letting himself fall back onto his back.

"Uhm, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked. "Everything alright?"

"Oh?" He let his head fall back, staring upside-down at his partner. "Alright, you ask? _Alright?!_ No, I'm _fucking fantastic!_"

"Uhm... Oookay..."

Jaune laughed. "No worries, I got this, babe."

* * *

**Even though I've been wanting to write this for some time and have a lot already planned, I'm now strangely demotivated to continue. *frowns***


End file.
